There Was No Xbox Handheld Because Microsoft "Couldn't Focus"

The "Xboy" was planned but never made.

Rumors and speculation of an Xbox handheld abounded during last generation, when Nintendo and Sony both had devices in the handheld market. But the mythical "Xboy" never came to fruition--and now, we know why.

In an interview with IGN, former Chief Xbox Officer Robbie Bach explained that Microsoft definitely had plans to make an Xboy device, but ultimately the company could never allocate enough resources or attention to get the project off the ground. Instead, its Xbox team was dedicated solely to working on the Xbox 360.

Imagine this in handheld form.

"There were definitely drawings," Bach said. He also shared that it wasn't always referred to as "Xboy," and that resources were limited. The company wanted to "play in [the handheld] part of the ecosystem, [but] we just couldn't focus. We just did not have the bandwidth."

Even though a handheld Xbox device would've been interesting, Bach shared that the Xbox team ultimately believed that it had been the right decision to not pursue it, considering the way the handheld market was overtaken by phone and tablet gaming over the past few years. Check out the IGN article and embedded video for more from Bach.

Would you have bought an Xboy device? Let us know in the comments below.